ul to help him."

Mr Paget gladly accepted Charles Dicey's assistance, and the Miss
Diceys offered to teach the girls, and they also undertook a
sewing-class for the young women, many of whom scarcely knew how to use
their needles properly. And then Tom Loftus, who was very ingenious,
set to work to give employment to the young men. He got them to cut out
models of all sorts, and showed them how to make brushes and other
useful articles. Then he induced some of the sailors to teach them to
knot and splice, and, indeed, to do all sorts of things.

"I am much obliged to you, gentlemen," said Captain Westerway. "The
last time I took out emigrants, they were almost in a state of mutiny.
They had nothing to do on board, and idleness breeds mischief; and idle
enough they were. Now, all these people seem as happy and contented as
possible, and as far as I can judge, they are much the same class as the
others."

There was a black fiddler on board, who went by the name of Jumbo; and
while he played the sailors danced, greatly to the amusement of the
passengers. Jack Ivyleaf, who was up to all sorts of fun, used to join
them, and soon learned to dance the hornpipe as well as the best dancer
on board.

"I wonder, Mr Ivyleaf, you can so demean yourself," exclaimed Mrs
Clagget, when he came on the poop after his performance. "You, a
gentleman, going and dancing among the sailors, and exhibiting yourself
to the steerage passengers!"

"Why, Mrs Clagget, that is the very thing I did it for," answered Jack,
laughing. "I went on purpose to amuse them. I cannot teach them, like
our friends Dicey and Loftus, and so I do what I can. I rather
contemplate giving them some recitations, and I am going to sing some
songs; and I am not at all certain that I will not act a play for their
amusement."

"Oh, you are incorrigible!" exclaimed Mrs Clagget; not that she really
minded what Jack proposed to do, but she must say something.

The fine weather continued. Jack recited and sang songs to the people
one evening, and the next he appeared in costume as a conjurer, and
performed a number of wonderful tricks; and the third day he got an
interesting book, and read out to them a story in a voice that might be
heard right across the deck, so that he had a large number of auditors.
At length it struck him that he might have a young men's class; and
before the day was over all the young men on board had begged to belong
to it, so that h